The present invention relates to an improved banding fixture for applying a band to a workpiece such as a coil or a bundle of material and to an improved banding method.
By way of background, coiled material such as tubing, wire, flexible plastic or a bundle of material require bands to retain them in assembled condition.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a banding fixture for a workpiece consisting of coiled material or a bundle of material wherein the fixture accepts a predetermined length of band and is manually manipulatable to cause the band to be secured around a section of the workpiece.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of banding a workpiece which involves a series of simple and efficient manipulations. Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will readily be perceived hereafter.
The present invention relates to a banding fixture comprising a body, a horizontal opening in said body, an overlying portion on said body overlying said horizontal opening, an undersurface on said overlying portion, a carriage movable into and out of said horizontal opening, a recess in said carriage, first and second carriage portions on opposite sides of said recess, an upper surface on at least one of said first and second carriage portions positioned in underlying near contiguous relationship with said undersurface when said recess underlies said overlying portion.
The present invention also relates to a method of banding a workpiece comprising the steps of providing a length of band having a central portion and outer end portions and a side with a cohesive substance thereon, placing said length of band on a first surface with said cohesive substance facing away from said first surface, providing a workpiece having an outer side with adjacent sides proximate said outer side and an inner side opposite to said outer side, positioning said workpiece with said outer side on said central portion of said band having said cohesive substance thereon, moving said workpiece and said band into a recess in a member to cause portions of said central portion of said band to move alongside said adjacent sides and to cause an additional portion of said central portion and one of said end portions adjacent said additional portion to extend beyond said one of said adjacent sides and to cause the other of said end portions to extend beyond the other of said adjacent sides, and moving said member past a second surface to cause said additional portion of said central portion of said band to extend across said inner surface and to cause said end portions of said band to lie in pressed cohesive engagement between said second surface and a third surface which is adjacent to said recess.
The various aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood when the following portions of the specification are read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: